If you live in Australia or you plan to spend some time in the Land Down Under, you have to appreciate how hot and uncomfortable summers can get here. Summers have over the years become hotter and the trend is not about to change. While summers mean a lot of fun outdoor activities, you will still have to go back indoors and this is the reason you need to smart strategies to stay cool this summer. To enjoy life indoors this summer, you have to plan and this article explores some of the techniques you can use to stay cool aside from installing an air conditioning system offered by specialist air conditioning services. Keep reading.
1. Invest in block-out curtains and keep the blinds closed
If you don’t already have sun-blocking curtains in your home, it is time to go shopping. This is a great technique to keep the sunlight out especially on the north and west-facing windows. The harsh summer sun can turn your indoor living space into an oven and those heavy blinds will come in handy to prevent this and help you stay cool this summer.
2. Go for cotton linen
While summers are synonymous with outdoor activities, you will still need to come back indoors for the night. This is the most terrible time of summer and if you only have silk and polyester bed sheets, you will spend the night turning and tossing. It is advisable to invest in high-quality Egyptian cotton bed linen which guarantees you sleep cool and comfortable.
3. Install roof ventilation
One of the best ways to prepare for summer is to install roof ventilation. More homeowners have discovered the crucial role a roof vent plays during the hottest summers and if you haven’t installed this important fixture, it should be your next home improvement project. A house without a roof vent will hold all the heat inside with no outlet, and this turns it into a heat box.
Heat rises and if you have no roof vent to let it out, it will migrate to the cooler areas of your house. If you have an attic, this will turn into a heat box and the heat trapped here will then migrate downwards to your living space. With the best roof vent, it is easy to stay cool because all the heat trapped by the roofing will travel into the atmosphere. You can install a solar powered vent to blow out the hot air, and the cost is negligible.
4. Adjust ceiling fans
Most homes have ceiling fans but when these appliances work during summer, it feels like they distribute the hot air. Well, your house in summer will most likely have hot air and the ceiling fan will only make exacerbate things. To avoid this, set your fans to rotate counterclockwise such that they pull the hot air towards the ceiling. In winter, set the fans to rotate clockwise thus pushing hot air downwards.
5. Keep doors closed
It is tempting to open all doors during summer but this will only make matters worse. If you want to stay cool, you have to close doors and seal any gaps around doors and windows which normally let in a draught. Draught excluders are fantastic in trapping cooler air indoors and blocking hot air from outside.
6. Drink lots of water
You have to keep your body temperature down by drinking lots of water during summer. Keep cold water close everywhere you go and never allow your body to become dehydrated because this can cause more health complications.
In addition to roof ventilation, other tricks to stay cool this summer include cooking outdoors, switch to energy-saving bulbs to help cool your home, install roof insulation would act as a barrier to heat flow, set the thermostat as high as you feel comfortable with, wear light coloured, loose-fitting clothes or shade your house with awnings, blinds and pergolas.